OP-11 General practitioners’ perspectives on palliative and end-of-life care

Introduction In recent years, the delivery of community-based palliative and end-of-life care PEoLC has evolved alongside wider changes in general practice and the expansion of specialist and community-based services. Despite policy positioning GPs as key to PEoLC, little is known about how they perceive their current and future roles. Aim To explore how UK GPs perceive their current and future roles in the delivery of community PEoLC. Methods Twenty UK GPs were recruited via MedeConnect and participated in semi-structured online interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Professional ideals and expectations: GPs articulated strong ideals of involvement in PEoLC, emphasising continuity, relational care, and responsibility for patients, while acknowledging these ideals were increasingly difficult to realise. Collaboration within multidisciplinary teams: Multidisciplinary team (MDT) working was viewed as essential to PEoLC, with GPs valuing specialist expertise while reflecting on how MDT structures reshaped responsibility and involvement. Systemic constraints and workload pressures: High workload, part-time working, and organisational pressures constrained GPs’ capacity to deliver PEoLC according to their ideal. GP roles in practice: Within these conditions, GPs described a wide spectrum of involvement in PEoLC, ranging from proactive care to more limited or supervisory roles. Conclusion GPs continue to navigate tensions between professional ideals and practical realities, balancing patient benefit with structural constraints. Variation in GP involvement reflects adaptation to MDT working and systemic pressures. Impact This study invites critical reflection on the role of general practice in PEoLC. It highlights the need for clearer role definitions, sustained support for continuity, and broader debate about whether, and how, the values of generalist medicine should be preserved in PEoLC.